PLUS

II Corinthians 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

I Corinthians 9:24-27 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

In the Fall of 1777, the Battle of Saratoga provided a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The American’s success ruined the British strategy of cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies, boosted the morale of the colonial patriots, and helped secure foreign support for the struggle for American independence.

Four Revolutionary leaders played an oversized role in this victory: General Horatio Gates, General Philip Schuyler, Colonel Daniel Morgan, and General Benedict Arnold. Specifically, General Arnold’s aggressive and courageous action, despite several injuries he received on the battlefield, helped secure this decisive victory. Yet, three years later, Arnold character faltered and failed as he betrayed the revolutionary cause.

The Saratoga Monument stands as a 155-foot-tall memorial to American bravery, skill, and sacrifice on that battlefield. Life sized statues of the leaders provide the highlight at the base of the monument, filling the alcoves that face in each of the cardinal directions. The statues of Gates, Schuyler, and Morgan face to the north, the east, and the west. Yet, the alcove that faces to the south remains empty. It was to be filled with General Arnold’s statue, but it instead stands as a hollow space. His later treachery sullied his memory and caused his legacy to remain empty and hollow. He has become a tragic castaway.

It’s a poignant and powerful reminder for all of us. Even if our reputations today are heroic, they can be sullied in a moment. Our legacies can easily and quickly become empty and hollow. We can become tragic castaways.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ZEALOUSLY MAINTAIN OUR CHARACTERS AND OUR TESTIMONIES. May our unyielding diligence and vigilance ensure that we don’t become tragic castaways.

Isaiah 5:20-21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Matthew 5:13-16 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Romans 12:20-21 “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

Hessy Levinsons Taft died a few weeks ago at age 91. She lived a normal life, with the most notoriety of her nine decades occurring when she was just an infant. It was during that time that she was selected by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels as the most Aryan-looking baby of 1935. Her baby picture was prominently plastered across the reach of the German regime.

The twist of irony of this dubious honor stems from the fact that Hessy was Jewish.

The photographer of her baby pictures, knowing she was Jewish, intentionally entered her in the contest to subtly demonstrate the absurdity of the Nazi regime. Hessy in her later years referred to this act of defiance as “good revenge.”

Today, we live in a situation that can be characterized as absurd. Evil is labeled good, and good is labeled evil by those who proudly proclaim their wisdom and prudence. Light and darkness are swapped and confused for their true meanings, as are bitter and sweet. In such a situation, how does God tell us to get “good revenge?”

We are to provide a stark contrast, offering saltiness to overcome the unappetizing lack of savour and light to overcome the suffocating darkness.

Furthermore, we are to feed our enemies, while praying for them, doing good to them, loving them, and blessing them.  It is the countercultural and insurgent way to glorify our Father which is in heaven.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO DEMONSTRATE THE TRUTHS OF GOD BY OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD. It is the trusted way to get good revenge on the absurd world all around us.

REFERENCE FOR THIS STORY:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-woman-whose-baby-photo-was-chosen-by-goebbels-as-aryan-exemplar-dies-at-91/

Mark 9: 23-24 “Jesus said unto him. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Matthew 17:19-21 “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Matthew 8:10 “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

This is the last post in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration. I hope you’ve enjoyed these snippets from a book you should consider for your reading list in 2026.

In my life, I have been consistently warned against using circular logic. In writing or speaking, such a logical fallacy erodes credibility and destroys the foundation of a successful argument. Yet, the following story about our Saviour seems to rely on such a shortcoming:

“Jesus said unto him. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:23-24).

For all of us, we go through periods of waning belief, trust, and faith. When our well is running dry, Jesus reminds us that taking a determined step forward in faith can provide the antidote to a lack of trust and the tonic that can steel our belief.

Thus, it is not circular logic but a principle of faith that helps us maintain momentum even when we feel like stagnating in faithlessness.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN IT TAKES OVERWHELMING BELIEF AND PRAYER TO BELIEVE. Deliberate belief yields derivative faith.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

ADMIN 2: I won’t be publishing a PLUS blog next weekend, but please keep praying faithfully for widespread revival in the United States of America while firmly trusting in the Lord our God!

Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, nether be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

II Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

This is the seventh in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration.

Fear on the verge of the Promised Land paralyzed the Israelites. Though it was universally known as a land that flowed with milk and honey, it also was populated by a formidable adversary. Their unwillingness to trust in God caused them to wonder in the wilderness for forty unnecessary, wasteful, challenging years. Eventually they got to where they belonged, but their fear caused them to be delayed for four long decades. Their faithless fear created a self-inflicted decades-long delay in the desert.

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, nether be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). These were not hollow words for Moses’s successor. They were a necessary charge to a people whose lack of trust had melted away their strength and courage. Similarly, they are a necessary charge to us today so that we do not unnecessarily delay our progress towards God’s plans for us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN WE ARE FEARFUL. Our faithless fear must not create a self-inflicted decades-long delay in the desert.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

This is the sixth in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration.

Many among us are procrastinators. As someone who loves to be ahead of the curve and ahead of schedule, I can’t understand this particular temporal temptation. Yet, like all of us, sometimes I use strategic procrastination to put off the things that I know God wants me to do that seem challenging or onerous. These can be put off until tomorrow … and the next day … and the next day … and the next.

When I do so, it isn’t a simple problem. It’s something far worse than that – it’s sin! Spiritual procrastination is sin!

Instead, let us redeem the time. Let’s press toward the mark. Let’s live our lives with an understanding that it will soon vanish away. Let’s number our days!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN AVOIDANCE SEEMS LIKE AN EASY WAY TO ESCAPE. Delay isn’t a trap door, it’s a trap!

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

ADMIN 2: I won’t be publishing a PLUS blog next weekend, but please keep praying faithfully for widespread revival in the United States of America while redeeming the time!